The Big Thirsty: What is Life Like for Women On Your Campus?
Q: In honor of International Women's Day, how are women treated on your campus, faculty, students, and staff? Is it a place where women can thrive? Is it a place where women can inspire and be inspired?
you know, it's really unfortunate that this holiday isn't widely celebrated in america. where i live, people do it BIG. it's a national holiday, all government agencies and most companies are closed, and nearly everyone goes out of their way to make all the women in their lives feel special. i like it better than mother's day because it's more encompassing. it's something that i'll miss if i come back to the US, for sure.
I've noticed that, too! Nothing is closed here, but students and other profs (the locals) were going around wishing people a happy International Women's Day. This must have been true in past years, too, but this is the first I've noticed it.
Well, you know you haven't "made it" when you have just one hokey celebratory day and your Congress is debating whether access to birth control is a good thing.
Female faculty in the Humanities do OK on my campus. Those in the sciences, apparently, are treated badly. We have a lot of female administrators, but some of them are committed to treating the lowest-paid sectors of the University, which are overwhelmingly female, very badly. So, you know, class tends to trump gender here, and the sciences are still very male-dominated.
Up here in the frozen North we have a lot of bright, motivated, dedicated female students, and a government bent on making sure that none of them ever have any opportunities at all.
The one thing that has never bothered me about LD3C--never even crossed my mind, even--is gender inequality. There is a fantastic environment here for women faculty, staff, and students.
I'm one of only two women faculty in my department, out of thirty. Female students are steered away from intensive theory classes and pushed to do "light" work in media studies surrounding the representation of women - good work, of course, but not usually the first thing the students want to do. The college has decided as part of efficiency measures to shut down the award-winning gender research center. And yesterday I got called on the carpet to explain why I was using a book with "feminist" in the title as material for a course on women in society.
We need more women in the engineering college. 5% of my major is female and I've had 20 person classes that are all-male. And that 5% isn't an attractive 5%. Mechanical engineers have it pretty good though. Saw more women in an hour in the machine shop than I saw in 4 years in the ECE building.
I'm guessing "Kate" isn't a guy name. Consult one of your male colleagues who can fondly recall being 22 years old "back in the day". He'll know what I'm on about.
I find that some of the women on the front lines of gender analysis are also the ones who elbow other women out of the way and treat each other like crap.
Like the time one of my students began to stalk me and even cut a lock of hair off my head while I was sitting in the cafeteria... I went to her, a specialist in feminist studies, and she told me I was overreacting and refused to corroborate my story when I went to the police.
My campus feels like there is an anti-woman culture, led by women who ought to be better to each other.
Just saw the numbers on my campus -- women make $.80 on the dollar that men make. Harassers are promoted, all important jobs are taken by men. The usual bull.
Most of the women at my school work hard, don't try to attract attention and do a good job, like most of the guys too. A few take advantage of the fact that the admins are concerned about the low numbers of female faculty. For instance, one demanded that her unqualified husband be hired or she would leave (had she been a guy, nobody would have minded that she left). A couple of other women are victims in another way. Although they know they don't have the research money and publications to be promoted (and aren't even asking for it), the administration gives them tenure anyway. This creates some serious resentment from other male faculty which in turn makes the female prof's job harder.
Mostly, everybody's doing ok but for those few, it's a fucked up bunch of shit.
I work for a performing arts college. It's a fantastic environment for female staff, and I get the impression that it's pretty good for female faculty as well; there's the usual amount of infighting, but none of it seems to be gender-based.
The students, unfortunately, aren't so lucky. Performing artists are taught from an early age to figure out (or manufacture) the ways that they are special and individual and not like everyone else, and to market themselves accordingly. It's not a worldview that really encourages any of them to expend any effort making sure that any female student other than themselves are thriving or inspired or anything else. It kind of sucks.
you know, it's really unfortunate that this holiday isn't widely celebrated in america. where i live, people do it BIG. it's a national holiday, all government agencies and most companies are closed, and nearly everyone goes out of their way to make all the women in their lives feel special. i like it better than mother's day because it's more encompassing. it's something that i'll miss if i come back to the US, for sure.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that, too! Nothing is closed here, but students and other profs (the locals) were going around wishing people a happy International Women's Day. This must have been true in past years, too, but this is the first I've noticed it.
DeleteWell, you know you haven't "made it" when you have just one hokey celebratory day and your Congress is debating whether access to birth control is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteFemale faculty in the Humanities do OK on my campus. Those in the sciences, apparently, are treated badly. We have a lot of female administrators, but some of them are committed to treating the lowest-paid sectors of the University, which are overwhelmingly female, very badly. So, you know, class tends to trump gender here, and the sciences are still very male-dominated.
Up here in the frozen North we have a lot of bright, motivated, dedicated female students, and a government bent on making sure that none of them ever have any opportunities at all.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that has never bothered me about LD3C--never even crossed my mind, even--is gender inequality. There is a fantastic environment here for women faculty, staff, and students.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of only two women faculty in my department, out of thirty. Female students are steered away from intensive theory classes and pushed to do "light" work in media studies surrounding the representation of women - good work, of course, but not usually the first thing the students want to do. The college has decided as part of efficiency measures to shut down the award-winning gender research center. And yesterday I got called on the carpet to explain why I was using a book with "feminist" in the title as material for a course on women in society.
ReplyDeleteSo, pretty shitty, I'd say.
We need more women in the engineering college. 5% of my major is female and I've had 20 person classes that are all-male. And that 5% isn't an attractive 5%. Mechanical engineers have it pretty good though. Saw more women in an hour in the machine shop than I saw in 4 years in the ECE building.
ReplyDeleteThe 5% is not attractive? Is that something you really want to leave up? To what kind of a boor does that matter?
DeleteHe's a troll, don't throw him a bone.
DeleteI would disagree, WhatLadder.
DeleteThrow this troll a bone. Try an elephant femur. At a high rate of speed. Upside the head.
"To what kind of a boor does that matter?"
DeleteI'm guessing "Kate" isn't a guy name. Consult one of your male colleagues who can fondly recall being 22 years old "back in the day". He'll know what I'm on about.
I find that some of the women on the front lines of gender analysis are also the ones who elbow other women out of the way and treat each other like crap.
ReplyDeleteLike the time one of my students began to stalk me and even cut a lock of hair off my head while I was sitting in the cafeteria... I went to her, a specialist in feminist studies, and she told me I was overreacting and refused to corroborate my story when I went to the police.
My campus feels like there is an anti-woman culture, led by women who ought to be better to each other.
Just saw the numbers on my campus -- women make $.80 on the dollar that men make. Harassers are promoted, all important jobs are taken by men. The usual bull.
ReplyDeleteMost of the women at my school work hard, don't try to attract attention and do a good job, like most of the guys too. A few take advantage of the fact that the admins are concerned about the low numbers of female faculty. For instance, one demanded that her unqualified husband be hired or she would leave (had she been a guy, nobody would have minded that she left). A couple of other women are victims in another way. Although they know they don't have the research money and publications to be promoted (and aren't even asking for it), the administration gives them tenure anyway. This creates some serious resentment from other male faculty which in turn makes the female prof's job harder.
ReplyDeleteMostly, everybody's doing ok but for those few, it's a fucked up bunch of shit.
I work for a performing arts college. It's a fantastic environment for female staff, and I get the impression that it's pretty good for female faculty as well; there's the usual amount of infighting, but none of it seems to be gender-based.
ReplyDeleteThe students, unfortunately, aren't so lucky. Performing artists are taught from an early age to figure out (or manufacture) the ways that they are special and individual and not like everyone else, and to market themselves accordingly. It's not a worldview that really encourages any of them to expend any effort making sure that any female student other than themselves are thriving or inspired or anything else. It kind of sucks.